Layers
Layers are a type of Class 1 Hole Phenomena that are an integral part of the Hole itself. There are 11 confirmed layers, and 4 theoretical ones. All information below was copied verbatim from dave's book, "A Brief History of Hole! Time!", with minor changes. The nicknames of the layers were given by Capt. Rad Foxxo. Explored and Confirmed Layers Layer 1 ("Dimension of the Smells") Layer 1 of the Hole is largely composed of a toxic, hallucinogenic gas known as 'Hole! Gas!'. The gas is very toxic, and should not be trusted at any time, however, small amounts can be used as a flavouring for certain remedial soups. The layer itself has the appearance of a huge mountain range, full of caves and chambers. Hole Gas can be seen rising from vents leading to the second layer. The ground appears to be made out of a type of unknown cheese. Further research is required. Overall, Layer 1 is rather calm, and is perfect for an introduction to Hole! Exploration! or maybe even a dangerous holiday. Layer 2 ("Same but Deadlier") Layer 2 can be accessed through the Hole Gas vents on the surface of Layer 1. Upon entering Layer 2, the sheer amount of Hole Gas will become clear. It is not recommended to enter Layer 2 without a Hole Gas Mask, as to avoid the symptoms of Hole Gas Sickness. This layer is highly obscured by Hole Gas, and so the plentiful fencers and fences will not be visible until very close. If descending with more than one individual, stay close, and keep constant audial and visual contact. Many travellers have met their unfortunate fate in Layer 2. How to defend yourself from a fencer: * Do not speak to him * Gesture behind him * Turn around * Put your hands above your head * Sidestep away, carefully How to defend yourself from a FENCE: * Hold onto the fence * Keep walking in one direction until the fence stops. Layer 2 is significantly more dangerous than Layer 1 and is recommended for amateur Hole explorers to get a feel for the more difficult layers, and the increasingly intense time dilation as one descends. Layer 3 ("The Shlonk Zone") Layer 3 is a more mysterious layer; few exploration attempts have been made due to a very thick covering of a slimy material, confirmed recently to be a non-Newtonian fluid of unknown composition. Basically, one must be moving at all times, or they will sink into the goo and inevitably drown. This leads usually to a very quick stay in the third layer, so the dangers are mostly unknown. Occasionally, it turns completely pitch-black, obscuring all vision. During these periods, it is best to start running in a small circle, as to not drown. It should be noted that an odor of fission permeates the layer; Hole Gas is believed to be created here, before quickly rising to Layers 2 and 1. There is a large door in the highest point of the layer. The door is confirmed to lead to the Cradle of Shadows, the throne of the layer's ruler. A one-way portal to Layer 6 can be found here; however, it can only be opened from within. Layer 4 ("Fiji") Layer 4 can only be described as a very large and very deep ocean. Ships can be found here in the plenty, almost always abandoned, with no signs of life. It is theorized that these sunk from the entrance to the Hole before ending up here. Finding one of these abandoned ships can be extremely beneficial to one's survival, to defend against entities commonly found in Layer 4 known as The Expanded Ones, or TEOs. These beings are roughly humanoid in shape, and are composed of a translucent blue substance. They appear to be perpetually experiencing visibly painful headaches, usually being found clutching their head in pain. They are excellent swimmers, and it is recommended to utilize any weapons found on abandoned ships to defend oneself. If that fails, just ram them. How to defend yourself from a TEO without a ship: * Stop moving and attempt to drop to the bottom of the ocean. * Stay until you run out of breath or TEOs decide to leave. * If they pursue, rise to the surface as fast as possible, get to a sandbank, and prepare to fight. * Aim for the stomach most of the time, but a main weakness of TEOs is their brains. Interrupt/disturb their brainwaves to weaken them considerably. The stronger TEO, the harder this feat is. Layer 5 ("Stippety Step") Layer 5 is very large in comparison to the previous layers, and it is recommended taking the stairs for the first third of the layer, utilizing the slide to get back up to a higher platform, then using a convenient bean portal to get to just below the start of the slide and walking the rest of the way. However, this method can be very tricky, as the time dilation from the top to the bottom differs dramatically. Entities at the bottom of the layer can be seen moving very slowly, however they move at normal speed when at the bottom with them. This can cause many descending entities to go insane, and start having hyper-realistic hallucinations, ranging from entire walls disappearing (usually leading to an edge and an untimely death), seeing everyone near you suddenly scream and turn inside-outside-in, or just plain visual oxidation. Use second-layer strategies here, but more so than before. Tie yourself to another being travelling with you before setting off, as not to lose them. If, at any time, you start hallucinating and want to break the rope binding you to the other being(s), tell them what you see. By the same token, if one of your teammates starts acting strange, ask them what they see, and write it down as soon as possible. These findings have been linked to a possible cure in Hole! Gas! Sickness. Beings called TPs can also be seen residing along some parts of the massive stone wall surrounding this layer, and while not necessarily aggressive, they can attack if provoked with words of affection. Be wary: these creatures sport very sharp claws that they use to rake out the asbestos in the wall's covering, which can easily be used to slice a being in two. How to avoid being attacked by a TP: * If they look at you, do not look at them back. * Do not say anything to them in any way. * Do not accept gifts from them, do not give them anything, unless you are giving them more asbestos to eat. * If in any way provoked, their weak spot is their huge nose. Layer 6 ("Welcome to the Jungle") Layer 6 is approximately twice as large as Layer 5. Over 80% of its surface is water, and only 60% of the surface is hospitable. Many dangers exist on this layer, including large cats, delightful (but dangerous) fellows, and more. The layer is ruled by an unknown monarch often spoken of by the inhabitants and their carvings. The beings here are quite robust, and physical attacks will hardly harm them. Try magic in order to disturb their natural cycles. The Delightful Fellows are the dominant life-form of Layer 5. They have long necks and thick plates of what appears to be armor, however, this is theorized to be a sort of exoskeleton. They are very agile and can swim much faster than the average person. Their bites are painful, mainly due to their size being enough to swallow a horse whole. There is a portal that leads to Layer 3 here. How to defend yourself from a Walker: * It is highly recommended to use catnip from your bag here. Leave it somewhere to attract walkers. * If a stray walker appears, do not react. They are usually passive but can attack viciously if provoked. * Scream and run. * they will outrun you. Layer 7 ("aaaa") Layer 7 can hardly even be called a layer. It is a 20 kilometer climb down a 4m wide Hole directly into the 8th layer, which is actually a one-way portal into a non-Euclidean space known as the Hole Dimension, where every subsequent layer is located. There is currently no known safe way of getting down, due to the final 20 meter drop down to the floor of the 8th layer. Using rope or some kind of pulley system would be useful for getting down safely. There is no way of returning after passing into the eighth layer, leading to the seventh layer being called ‘the point of no return’. The corridor will rarely be blocked completely, not even leading all the way to Layer 8. This has led to many travelers digging a path out of the corridor in an attempt to advance further or escape while they can. These tunnels apparently go on forever, sometimes even being perfect circles. The quickest way down to Layer 8 is, of course, to jump down the 4m wide Hole. It actually takes a surprisingly quick time of just over a minute to descend to the very bottom. Do note that this path will lead to your death if not prepared with rocket boosters or a specialized parachute. There is an old, wooden fireman’s pole visible here that spans the entire height of the layer, however, using this to descend is not recommended, as you may receive splinters. Note: If something does seem to be moving inside a corridor, do not make eye contact with it, ignore it completely, and keep scaling the wall down. Note: The nickname of this layer, "aaaa", is pronounced "The Point of No Return." Footnote (note, but with toes): I personally think that Jeffrey put the fireman's pole here on purpose, and somehow dug his way down to Layer 8. It would explain why it is so old and forgotten; it took people ages to return to the Hole after Jeffrey's disappearance. Layer 8 ("The Expansion Pak") Being the first layer located completely within the Hole Dimension, this layer is mostly unknown, as no exploration attempts have returned successfully to supply information. Its size can only be estimated as of current technology. It is known to be inhabited by TEOs and other brain fellows, and therefore gained the name "brain land". It can only be reached by successfully descending through Layer 7 and entering the Hole at the end of the tunnel. Note: New versions of TEOs appear here: dummies and sparkles cannot appear here, as they have all ascended and have decided to move to Layer 8 to receive Final Brain. Final Brain Final Brain is a very mysterious phenomenon that only appears in Layer 8. Effectively, when low-level TEOs become smart enough, they migrate to Layer 8 to receive a mysterious ‘final brain’. New research on Final Brain has shown one possibility of the outcome of Final Brain: these creatures fuse with the hole and its purpose, and take the form of something that is desired by someone in the hole. This could explain The Twins, or DogTM, as there is a link between them and the mantra of explorers such as Capt. Rad Foxxo and Shab, Lord of Dab. Layer 9 ("Orang Man Bad") This is the only layer where Orang has been theorised to exist. This is known due to the discovery of a mysterious scripture which states that Layer 9 contains "orang, lots of beans, and a mysterious overlord". We are not even truly sure if Layer 9 exists or not. It is said to contain hordes of Vegetal and is built to contain the corruption of the Hole. Layer 9 has no physical entrance, and it is sealed by a curse that does not allow anything to leave. The layer is filled with corrupting mists that will usually kill any explorers immediately upon contact. It is known to be inhabited by powerful corruptions such as Corinac the Abomination, a powerful Vegetal overlord, who was diagnosed with deep corruption after being defeated. Layer 9 is said to be as big as all previous layers of the Hole combined. Mainly due to its size changing constantly, it is described as a sphere with many tunnels leading away from it into the abyss. The largest tunnel is estimated to be at least 100km long and have a radius of 400m. Many efforts have been made in search of a way to bypass Layer 9 and avoid the extreme dangers it presents. Layer 11 ("Forsaken Kingdom") Confirmed to exist due to Everwalker rising up to the eighth layer in order to challenge the exploration team. This layer is believed to house the source of the Walkers, possibly a large city. Layer 15 Confirmed to exist due to Corinac rising up to confront Layer 8 researchers. Unconfirmed Layers Layer 10 ("existancen't") Layer 10 is only theorized to exist and has not yet been confirmed. Layer 10 cannot be confirmed. It does not exist. You do not trust the lies. Hole! Core! Hole! Core! is theorized to exist due to the manifestation of Jeffrey's camera in Season 2. The readings of depth and time dilation are taken from the instruments in the camera. This layer is believed to contain the source of the Hole's increasingly intense time dilation and could be a sort of brain or central nervous system. Jeffrey's Layer Jeffrey's Layer is a mysterious Layer in which Jeffrey is thought to currently reside. It resembles Layer 4 due to being a beach surrounded by water. Fiji Water (Deliciously Explosive) is seen raining from the sky onto Jeffery, who is seemingly frozen in time.